PDA

View Full Version : Which is better?



Clarke123
May 19th, 2010, 07:25
I want to get into repainting properly, up to now I have been using a photo editor that I got with my first PC designed for windows 95, so my question is which is better Photoshop or Paintshop pro? What do you guy's use?

Cees Donker
May 19th, 2010, 07:31
I use psp, but I have them both.

Cees

Wild Bill Kelso
May 19th, 2010, 07:58
PaintShopProX here.

Photoshop may provide more bells&whistles (and plugins as well), but I got accustomed to PSP since the ancient days of Windows 3.1...

Cheers,
Markus.

Z-claudius24
May 19th, 2010, 08:27
Hi,

Not a repainter .. but I have PSP and PS
I like more PSP than PS for everyday work .. as PS is a gas factory :)

Duckie
May 19th, 2010, 09:19
I have both but I much prefer PSP. I was easier for me to learn so I stayed with it. I started and was on Version 7.x for years and recently upgraded to V9.x.

Just my opinion and I know many use PhotoShop which is also a very good product. But so far I haven't needed/wanted to anything that PSP V9.x wouldn't do for me.

Duckie

OBIO
May 19th, 2010, 09:35
I have Photo Shop 7.0 and Paint Shop Pro 7.0. I use Photo Shop for my skinning work....I have been using it on and off since 1993 or 1994. I am used to Photo Shop, while Paint Shop Pro just feels odd to me.

Which is better...the one you feel more comfortable using and the one you know how to use. Both programs have more features and more power than most of us will ever use for doing skins...so using either for skin work is like using a 105mm howitzer for squirrel hunting. So, in the end it comes down to using the program that you know and are comfortable using.

If you have not used either program and are looking to get one to use for skinning, keep in mind that Photo Shop is pricey...even an older version like 7.0 can set you can some serious green...I recently saw it on Ebay going for anyplace between $50 and $250 dollars. Paint Shop Pro isn't as expensive, and I think they have actually made some of the older versions free.

For good turtorials on both Paint Shop Pro and Photo Shop, look at Simmerspaintshop.com. Lots and lots of good stuff to be found there.

OBIO

fsafranek
May 19th, 2010, 11:22
I use Paint Shop Pro 7 but I do have a copy of PhotoShop 6 that I bought for a web graphics class a few years ago. I'm finding lately that PSP7 (and PSP8) will not open some of the PSD (Photoshop format) paint kits. That is starting to be a real drag. But all of my work from scratch is with PSP7. It's just as functional as PS for what I do and a fraction of the price. Layers are the hot tip in both.
:ernae:

Kiwikat
May 19th, 2010, 11:28
Photoshop.

Matt Wynn
May 19th, 2010, 11:40
i use both, PSP for panel lines and photoshop for fleshing it out and adding the really fiddly bits, make sure if you get photoshop to utilise the scratch disk feature if you have 2 hard drives... i have my 2 scratch disks as C:\ and G:\, The scratch disk used by Photoshop is to replace physical RAM. This is defined in Photoshop's preferences. To work best the program needs free space on the scratch disk equal to about 4 times your file size. If you do not have this much free space you may get an inadequate memory message while editing your picture. Normally it is best to either have a very large hard drive to work with or have a separate disc for use in image editing...

Dangerousdave26
May 19th, 2010, 12:12
Myself I would prefer Photoshop CS5 (the last version I had for work at my last job was CS3)

However I can't afford it.

So I use Gimp. It is a freeware image editor in the same ball part as Photoshop. Like most of the others it has its learning curve but I like it very well.

www.gimp.org

Moparmike
May 19th, 2010, 12:32
I have PSPx2 and PS CS4 on my current rig. I ran PSP8.1 and PS CS2 on my old WinXP rig.

For FS graphics work I still prefer PSP since most of my workflow habits revolve around it.
For my photo editing I tend to use Photoshop (not really relevant to the original question, just justifying why it exists on my machine).

I'm lucky enough to have my Photoshop license provided by work, otherwise I wouldn't have the full version on my machine due to the cost. (Don't tell the boss, but I still prefer to use PSP for most of my work-related graphics stuff instead of PSCS4! :) )
For FS use Photoshop Elements is much cheaper and has pretty much all the tools you'll likely need.
Otherwise, PSPx2 is probably the best economic choice since you can pick it up for around $50 if you can catch it on sale.

Or if you're on a real tight budget, be sure to check out some of the open-source/freeware alternatives out there too. DDave already mentioned The GIMP. Paint.NET is also another well-featured freebie that might work for ya.

Moparmike
May 19th, 2010, 12:36
i use both, PSP for panel lines and photoshop for fleshing it out and adding the really fiddly bits, make sure if you get photoshop to utilise the scratch disk feature if you have 2 hard drives... i have my 2 scratch disks as C:\ and G:\, The scratch disk used by Photoshop is to replace physical RAM. This is defined in Photoshop's preferences. To work best the program needs free space on the scratch disk equal to about 4 times your file size. If you do not have this much free space you may get an inadequate memory message while editing your picture. Normally it is best to either have a very large hard drive to work with or have a separate disc for use in image editing...

That's an interesting tip! I'll have to check into that sometime.
(Just goes to show how familiar with Photoshop that I'm not!)

Wild Bill Kelso
May 19th, 2010, 23:49
... I'm finding lately that PSP7 (and PSP8) will not open some of the PSD (Photoshop format) paint kits.

No prob with PSP X!
I sometimes get a message about some certain features not supported when opening a sophisticated PSD file, but actually didn't found out which.
Everything coming up fine...

Besides its handiness as graphic editor, PSP still is a great file conversion tool!

Clarke123
May 20th, 2010, 06:36
Thanks for the response lads. I'm leaning towards PSP at the moment mainly coz it's cheaper. One last question to try and un-muddy the water a bit, which would be best for a beginner? Is there a learning curve to them and if so which is less steep? Thanks again.

Moparmike
May 20th, 2010, 09:08
No prob with PSP X!
I sometimes get a message about some certain features not supported when opening a sophisticated PSD file, but actually didn't found out which.
Everything coming up fine...

Besides its handiness as graphic editor, PSP still is a great file conversion tool!

Yup, starting with either v9 or X (v10), PSP started to get a lot better about handling Photoshop .PSD files. I haven't had any problems with PSPx2 and .PSD files from Photoshop. I know PSPv8.10 has a few hiccups with opening .PSDs from PhotoshopCS2 and newer though.



Thanks for the response lads. I'm leaning towards PSP at the moment mainly coz it's cheaper. One last question to try and un-muddy the water a bit, which would be best for a beginner? Is there a learning curve to them and if so which is less steep? Thanks again.

All of em have a learning curve to em.
If you spend some time in Google, you can probably find a tutorial for whatever you're doing in either program. There are oodles of em out there. Obio's suggestion to check out the simmerspaintshop is a good starting place. And as Frank posted, learning about layers and all the different ways you can use them is the hot ticket!

The biggest problem I had is learning where all the tools are at and how to use them...each program has a slightly different layout, plus you can also modify the toolbars and layout to better suit your usage too.
I think PSP is probably the easiest one to learn with. "Out of the box" it has a fairly simple layout with the basic tools right out front where you can get at them. If you find a tool that you're using quite often you can edit a toolbar to keep that one right where you can access it quickly.

So, for the money I think you're on the right track with PSP.

MaddogK
May 20th, 2010, 21:02
Paintshop pro 7 and photoshop CE here. I prefer Photoshop for layer manipulation, and MS paint for hand touch-ups and transparency work. PSP is clumsy for my needs but it does a nice job of sharpening details and color balancing, I could prolly live without it tho. MUST have DXTbmp also (and Nvidia texture tools)

Clarke123
May 21st, 2010, 05:40
Thanks for that, it seems to be a personal preference thing a bit like FS9 and FSX :icon_lol:
I just tried Gimp following Dangerous Daves advice and it seems to be a good platform for me to learn about layers before I splash out on anything. With my old photo program I had to paint around details or add them by hand, good god that was a nightmare, thats why I haven't done much in the way of repaints. Just got a new job so I'm gonna see what it's like with gimp then look at upgrading to something shinier and expensive once I've got a few payslips behind me. I appreciate the advice you've given me.